Parking device for automobiles



Mmh 28, 1939. J. L. BARR 2,151,828

I PARKING DEVlCE FOR AUTOMOBILES ori i al Filed Aug. 20, 1932 IS-Sheets-Sheet '1 March 28, 1939.

.1. L. BARR PARKING DEVlCE FOR AUTOMOBILES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 20, 1932 Ja/m/ Z 5/9/22 March 28, 1939.

J. L, BARR 2,151,828

PARKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Original Filed Aug. 20, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jw/N- 5196B Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Divided and this application April 14, 1936, Serial No. 74,385. Renewed August 17,

8 Claims. (01. 280-150) This application is a application Serial No. 1932.

An object of this invention is to minimize the danger of injury both to the elevating device and to the roadbed through twisting strains which may be imposed upon the device due to inequalities in the roadbed, cramp of the steering wheels and other like factors.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple construction that is easily and cheaply made and will always be available for instant operation when it is necessary to turn the car on a short radius.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device which will permit turning of the car on a short radius with a minimum of effort, and yet which has no harmful eliect on the normal steering of the vehicle when the device itself is not in operation.

With these and other objects in view which may be incident to my improvements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations to be hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements comprising my invention may be varied in construction, proportions and arrangement, without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown in the acompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect, without limiting the improvements in their useful applications to the particular constructions which, for the purpose of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, looking from the rear of the car towards the front, of the front steering 'wheelsof the car with tached in place.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the construction shown in Figure 1, with part of the details omitted.

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a view partly in cross section of the details of construction of my elevating device, showing in dotted-lines the device raised to the inoperative position.

T Figure 5 is a view taken on the line5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a View taken on the line; 66 of Figure 5, looking in the, direction of the arrows.

Fi ure L7 isa cross, sectional view of a modifidivision of my copending 629,691, filed August 20,

my elevating device atcation of the joint between the elevating device and the car.

Figure 8 is a detail in cross section of a modified form of ground engaging member for the elevating device.

Figure 9 is a front elevation of a modified form of ground engaging device for the elevating member.

Figure 10 is a rear elevation of another form of elevating device.

Figure 11 is a rear elevation of another modification.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to the form of my device shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, I have shown a steering axle of an automobile, which is normally the front axle, designated by the numeral I. Mounted on this front axle are steering wheels 2, shown in a cramped position in dotted lines in Figure 2. In order to steer the Wheels, proper connections such as are usual in constructions of this character are made, which include a steering tie rod 3.

Fastened by suitable U-clamps 4, to the under side of the front axle is an elevating mechanism comprising a support plate 5, which acts as onehalf of a swivel joint, the other half of which is a swivel plate 6 having an arm 7 integrally formed therewith. Thesupport plate 5 and the swivel plate 6, which is in sliding contact therewith, are mounted so that the plate 6 can swivel on the plate 5.

There is a stud 8, as plainly shown in Figure 4, whose upper end is provided with a head 9 which fits in the recess ll of the support plate 5. The lower end of the stud 8 may be provided with a flanged portion l2 which is suitably attached by any known means to the stud 8, and which permits the swivel plate 6 to rotate on the sup port plate 5. The swivel plate 6 is provided with two downwardly extending trunnion blocks It which holds the ends of a stub axle l4.

Mounted to swing on the stub axle I4 is an elevating rod 15 which is screwed, at It, into a hearing member I 1 which swivels on the stub axle l4. At the lower end of the elevating rod I5, I have provided a foot construction comprising a foot member l8 into which is screwed the rod l5. A look nut 19 is then screwed into position to hold the rod IS in the foot member 18 at the desired position. This construction permits the rod I 5 to have any desired operative length to accommodate for various sizes of cars.

The foot member I8 is made with an annular recess 20 around which is bolted a collar 2| to which is attached, by suitable connections, a

. tion he wants,

) joint comprising cable 22 so that upon pulling the cable the elevating rod l5 and the accompanying mechanism may be drawn up into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4.

The rod may be, in operation, let down, and may swing on either side of the vertical. The driver, for instance in the position shown in Figure 3, drives the car forward to raise the front end sufficiently to relieve the weight on the front wheels to permit them to be readily turned. If the elevating rod 15, however, was on the other side of the vertical, he would back the car on to the rod so that the wheels could be readily turned. This general form of operation is shown in my Patent Nos. 1,961,219; 1,95%,308; Re. 19,247; 1,963,879; and 1,969,198. It gives a flexibility of operation not inherent in the other devices. There is no danger of injuring the elevating rod because there is no stop against which the momentum of the car can deal a damaging impact.

The device is merely allowed to fall into engagement with the roadbed, and if the driver fails to mount upon the device at the exact posiand should drive over it, for instance by backing the car, he can can come forward a few inches and mount it again. It will be understood that the control is applied through the power of the car and through the control of the foot brakes. It is an easy operation to drive up on the device and hold the car by means of the brakes in the desired position while the front wheels are turned. All this has been explained in my applications which issued into the patents listed above.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the arm 1 is provided near its end with'a support piece 23 carrying an upstanding eyelet member 24 to which are attached springs 25, the springs 25 at their other ends being attached to support pieces 25 mounted on the steering tie rod 3.

The arrangement is such that through the arm 1 and the spring connections with the tie rod, the elevating rod 15 is swiveled on the swivel the support plate 5 and swivel plate 6, so that when the rod 15 swings either forward or to the rear of the vertical on the stub axle 14, the plane of swing of the member I5 will be substantially in line with a plane passing through the wheels. This is plainly shown in Figure 2, which shows the wheels cramped and the rod 1 in dotted lines having been carried to one side. The plane of swing of the rod l5 will be substantially parallel to the cramped position of the wheels.

In order to permit the device to be held in its upper inoperative position, as shown in Figure 4, without danger of rattling or of injuring the device, or the car structure, I have shown on the bottom of the arm 1 a holding clamp 21 on which is mounted a rubber bumper 28 against which the rod 15 rests when the cable 22 has hauled it into its uppermost position.

In order to hold the mechanism in its inoperative position from swinging each time the steering wheels are moved, I have shown the support plate 5 provided with a recess 29 having a suitable cap 3| screwed therein. In the recess is mounted a spring 32 carrying a spring pressed plate 33. There is provided in the swivel plate 6 a recess 34 in which is mounted a plunger 35 having a head 36 which, in the position of the parts shown in Figure 6, passes through the apertures in the swivel plate 6 and support plate 5, locking the two so that the swivel plate 6 cannot rotate or swivel on the support plate 5. Urging the plunger 35 into its upper position is a spring 31 mounted in a support piece 38. The plunger 35 is provided at its lower end with a head 39 against which the spring 31 bears.

In the position shown in Figure 6, the head 36 of the plunger 35 locks the swivel plate 6 from rotation, and the plunger 35 is held in spring pressed relation between the tension springs 32 and 31. Upon lowering the elevating rod l5 by releasing the cable 22, a contact lug 4|, which has been hearing against the head 39, falls with the rod 15 and no longer pushes against the head 39. The head 39 then falls and the springs 32 pushes the head 36 of the plunger 35 to the lower position, so that the head 36 no longer locks the swivel plate 6 from rotation.

Now, let us assume that the rod 15 has again been raised into the position shown in Figure 6, but that the cramp of the wheels prevents the head 33 from entering in the aperture in the plate 5. In such a case no harm is done, because the spring 31 is merely compressed and the head 36 will enter the aperture in the plate 5 when the rod 1 is in a position such as is shown in Figure 2 in the full line position.

This construction permits the device to be held in position to prevent its constant swiveling when not in use, and yet it is free to swivel immediately upon lowering the elevating rod l5. By reason of the fact that the connection between the rod 1 and the tie rod 3 is through springs 25, the normal steering of the Vehicle when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 6 can proceed without undue interference. The spring connection between the rod 1 and the rod 3 is also of advantage in view of changes in the angular position of the rod 3 during cramping of the Whee1s-f0r instance, such an advantage as is depicted in dotted lines in Figure 2.

In Figure '1 I have shown a modification in which the bearing member 11 is shown mounted in the shaft l4 through a rubber or elastic bushing member 42, comprising a rubber ring 43 and bushings 44 and 45. rocking of the elevating rod 15 on the shaft 14 to take care of some of the strains imposed while moving the car either into forward or back position while the wheels are cramped. Means, of

course, have been shown in the other forms of de- I vice for swivelling the rod 15 so that its plane of rotation on the stub axle l4 coincides substantially with the cramp of the steering wheels. Since there is a slight arcuate motion to the front of the car when the device is used while the steerin wheels are cramped, under some conditions of operation I prefer to permit a slight rocking of the elevating rod l5 on the stub axle l4, and the form shown in Figure "I will take care of this limited motion just described. Under certain conditions of operation, it is not necessary to employ the form of device shown in Figure '1, but it has certain inherent advantages.

In Figure 8, I have shown a modification of the foot member l8 wherein the ground engaging portion is rounded and provided with serrations 46 which may be of any desired configuration.

In Figure 9 is shown a still further modification, in which the ground engaging extremity of the foot member l8 presents an enlarged flat surface, as shown at 41, and is provided with a serrated or roughened surface.

In the form of device shown in Figure 10, I have provided two elevating members similar in construction to those already described. These ele- This construction permits 4 vating members are linked by a link piece 48. which links the two rods together. Separate cables are fastened to the foot pieces of the rods l. These cables'may be joined and controlled through a single cable or not, as desired. The members 15, by reason of the link piece 48, must swivel together, but are capable each of separate swinging movement on their respective stub axles.

In the form shown in Figure 11, the construction is similar to that shown in Figure 10, with the exception that there is provided an elongated ground engaging member 49, and the elevating rods l5 are provided at their extremities with balls 5| which fit into socket members 52 carried by the elongated ground engaging member 49. In this form, but one cable 22 is used to raise the members to' an inoperative position. Their swivelling movement is provided at the bottom of the elevating rods l5 through the ball and socket connection with the member 49.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth, by

way of illustration, as it is apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device to relieve at least part of the weight on the steering Wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of elevating means, pivots between each means and the vehicle, and means for rotating each pivot to cause the plane of swing of each elevating means to approximately parallel the planes of the steering wheels when they are cramped.

2. A device to relieve at least part of the weight on the steering wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of elevating means upon which the vehicle is adapted to be driven by either forward or backward movement thereof, pivots between each means and the vehicle, and means for rotating each pivot to cause the plane of swing of each elevating means to approximately parallel the planes of the steering wheels when they are cramped.

3. A device to relieve at least part of the weight on the steering wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of elevating means, pivots between each means and the vehicle, means for rotating each pivot to cause the plane of swing of each elevating means to approximately parallel the planes of the steering wheels when they are cramped, a foot piece, and joints permitting universal movement between the font piece and each elevating means.

4. A device to relieve at least part of the weight on the steering wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of elevating means upon which the vehicle is adapted to be driven by either forward or backward movement thereof, pivots between each means and the vehicle, means for rotating each pivot to cause the plane of swing of each elevating means to approximately parallel the planes of the steering wheels when they are cramped, a foot piece, and joints permitting universal movement between the foot piece and each elevating means.

5. A device to relieve at least part of the weight on the steering wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of supporting legs, pivots between each leg and the vehicle and means to rotate each pivot to cause the plane of swing of each leg to approximately parallel the planes of the steering wheels when they are cramped.

6. A device to relieve-at least part of the weight on the steering wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of supporting legs upon which the vehicle is adapted to be driven by either forward or backward movement thereof, pivots between each leg and the vehicle and means to'rotate each pivot to cause the plane of swing of each leg to approximately parallel the planes of the steering wheels when they are cramped.

7. A device to relieve at least part of the weight on the steering wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of supporting legs, pivots between each leg and the vehicle, means to rotate each pivot tocause the plane of swing of each leg to approximately parallel the planes of the steering wheels when they are cramped, a foot piece, and joints permitting universal movement between the foot piece and each leg.

8. A device to relieve at least part of the weight on the steering wheels of a vehicle comprising a plurality of supporting legs, pivots between each leg and the vehicle and means to rotate each pivot.

JOHN L. BARR. 

